Finer granularity user plane security policy configuration

ABSTRACT

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and program products to provision a user plane (UP) security policy at a granularity level that is per data radio bearer (DRB) within a protocol data unit (PDU) session or per quality of service (QoS) flow within one or more DRB of the PDU session.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to wireless communication systems,and more specifically to security protection of user plane traffic.

BACKGROUND

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards andprotocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless mobiledevice. Wireless communication system standards and protocols caninclude the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long termevolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G) or new radio (NR) (e.g., 5G); the Instituteof Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, which iscommonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability formicrowave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wirelesslocal area networks (WLAN), which is commonly known to industry groupsas Wi-Fi. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, the basestation can include a RAN Node such as a Evolved Universal TerrestrialRadio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolvedNode B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or Radio Network Controller(RNC) in an E-UTRAN, which communicate with a wireless communicationdevice, known as user equipment (UE). In fifth generation (5G) wirelessRANs, RAN Nodes can include a 5G Node, NR node (also referred to as anext generation Node B or g Node B (gNB)). A next generation eNB(ng-eNB) is an enhanced 4G eNB that connects to the 5C Core network vianext generation (NG) interfaces but still uses 4G LTE air interfaces tocommunicate with a 5G UE. Thus, both the gNB and ng-eNB use the NGinterfaces toward the 5G core but use different radio interfaces towardsthe UE. The gNB and ng-eNB may be linked together via the Xn interface.

RANs use a radio access technology (RAT) to communicate between the RANNode and UE. RANs can include global system for mobile communications(GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN),Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and/or E-UTRAN,which provide access to communication services through a core network.Each of the RANs operates according to a specific 3GPP RAT. For example,the GERAN implements GSM and/or EDGE RAT, the UTRAN implements universalmobile telecommunication system (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, theE-UTRAN implements LTE RAT, and NG-RAN implements 5G RAT. In certaindeployments, the E-UTRAN may also implement 5G RAT.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, themost significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to thefigure number in which that element is first introduced.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example PDU session.

FIG. 2 illustrates a call flow of an example UP policy configuration ina PDU session in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a call flow of an SMF configuration of QoS flow levelUP security policy in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a call flow of an SMF configuration of bearer levelUP security policy in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a call flow of a (R)AN configuration of bearer levelUP security policy in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a call flow of a (R)AN configuration of QoS flowlevel UP security policy in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example service based architecture in accordancewith certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an infrastructure equipment in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a platform in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates example interfaces in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates components in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

5G communication systems include integrity protection of the user plane(UP) between the UE and the gNB. Integrity protection may be resourcedemanding and not all UEs may be able to support it at the full datarate. Therefore, 5G systems may allow the finer level of UP securitypolicy configuration to make sure those capability limited UE can enablethe UP IP. For example, if the UE indicates 64 kilobits per second(kbps) as its maximum data rate for integrity protected traffic, thenthe network may only turn on integrity protection for UP connectionswhere the data rates are not expected to exceed the 64 kbps limit.However, current implementations apply the same UP security policy toevery data radio bearer (DRB) in the same Protocol Data Unit (PDU)session. The UP security policy indicates whether UP confidentialityand/or UP integrity protection is activated or not for the DRBsbelonging to the PDU session. In response to UP confidentiality and/orUP integrity protection being activated, a gNB and UE may generate orupdate a UP encryption key and/or UP integrity protection key andactivate UP encryption and/or UP integrity protection for the respectivePDU session.

By way of example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 illustrating a PDUsession 102 established by a UE 104, a gNB 106, and a 5G core network.In LTE, Quality of Service (QoS) is enforced at the bearer level andthere is a one-to-one relationship for an Evolved Packet System (EPS)bearer between the DRB (UE to eNB), the S1-U General Packet RadioService (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U tunnel (eNB to S-GW) and theS5-U tunnel (S-GW to P-GW). In a 5G system, QoS is enforced at a QoSflow level. In a 5G core network, as shown in FIG. 1 , a user planenetwork function (shown as UPF 108) may be configured for transport ofdata between the gNB 106 and the 5GC. In 5G systems, there is aone-to-many relationship between a N3 GTP-U Tunnel 110 and the DRBs onthe air interface (three examples are shown as DRB 112, DRB 114, and DRB116). A DRB may transport one or more QoS flows (e.g., QoS flow 118, QoSFlow 120, QoS Flow 122, QoS Flow 124). Each QoS flow on N3 is mapped toa single GTP-U tunnel. The gNB 106 may map individual QoS flows to oneor more DRB. In the illustrated example, QoS flow 118 is mapped to 112,QoS Flow 120 and 122 are mapped to DRB 114, and QoS Flow 124 is mappedto DRB 116. Therefore, the PDU session 102 includes multiple QoS flows,several DRBs, and a single N3 GTP-U tunnel.

In current 5G systems, UP security policy is only decided by the networkand sent from a Session Management Function (SMF) to a gNB or an ng-eNB.For example, 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.502 and TS 33.501indicate that the SMF provides UP security policy for a PDU session tothe ng-eNB/gNB during a PDU session establishment procedure. Theng-eNB/gNB activates UP confidentiality and/or UP integrity protectionper each DRB, according to the received UP security policy, using radioresource control (RRC) signaling. Even though the ng-eNB/gNB activatesthe UP security policy per DRB, since the UP security policy from theSMF is at PDU session granularity, every DRB in the same PDU sessionwill have the same UP security policy.

As indicated above, a UE may have two different kinds of User PlaneIntegrity Protection (UP IP) capability data rate, 64 kbps and full datarate. In certain embodiments, the UE may send a UE capability message tothe network to indicate a UE user plane integrity protection maximumdata rate (e.g., 64 kbps or full data rate). The UE capability messagemay be sent, for example, in a registration request message or anothermessage. When the UE supports full data rate, there may be no issue ordifficulty to activate UP IP. However, when the UE can only support 64kbps for UP IP, it may be difficult to activate UP IP, especially whenevery DRB in the same PDU session has the same UP security policy. Itmay be a large burden (i.e., cause packet handling delay, or consume alarge amount of power and/or computing resources) for the UE to enableUP IP for all the DRBs in the same PDU session.

Thus, certain embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, apparatuses,methods, and program products to provision UP security policy at a finergranularity even when the UE's UP IP capability is limited, e.g., to 64kbps. With certain such embodiments, it is possible to only enable theUP IP for some of the DRBs/QoS flows. Thus, the burden caused by the UPIP is reduced.

FIG. 2 is a call flow 200 illustrating an example UP security policyconfiguration in a PDU session establishment procedure. The call flow200 includes messages sent between a UE 202, a (radio) access network(shown as (R)AN 204, an access and mobility management function (shownas AMF 206), a user plane function (shown as UPF 208), an SMF 210, and aunified data management function (shown as (UDM 212). The (R)AN 204 maycomprise, for example, a gNB or ng-eNB. Persons skilled in the art willunderstand that the description herein of the call flow 200 onlyprovides a summary and further details may be found, for example, in3GPP TS 23.502 and TS 33.501.

The UE 202 initiates the PDU Session Establishment procedure by thetransmission of a PDU session establishment request 214 within an N1Session Management (SM) container to the AMF 206.

The AMF 206 performs SMF selection 216 to select an SMF (e.g., the SMF210). See, e.g., clause 6.3.2 of 3GPP TS 23.501 and clause 4.3.2.2.3 of3GPP TS 23.502.

The AMF 206 then sends either an Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request218 or a Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request (not shown) to theselected SMF 210. The Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request 218 mayinclude one or more of a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), aselected Data Network Name (DNN), a UE requested DNN, single networkslice selection identifier (S-NSSAI(s)), PDU Session identifier (ID),AMF ID, Request Type, policy control function (PCF) ID, Priority Access,Small Data Rate Control Status, N1 SM container (PDU SessionEstablishment Request), User location information, Access Type, RATType, Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI), Generic Public SubscriptionIdentifier (GPSI), UE presence in Local Area Data Network (LADN) servicearea, Subscription For PDU Session Status Notification, DNN SelectionMode, Trace Requirements, Control Plane Cellular Internet of Thing(CIoT) 5G System (5GS) Optimization indication, or Control Plane Onlyindicator.

If Session Management Subscription data for corresponding SUPI, DNN andS-NSSAI of the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) is not available,then the SMF 210 performs subscription retrieval 220 with the UDM 212 toretrieve Session Management Subscription data using Nudm_SDM_Get (SUPI,Session Management Subscription data, selected DNN, S-NSSAI of theHPLMN). The Session Management Subscription data includes the UPsecurity policy.

Although not shown in FIG. 2 , the PDU Session Establishment Proceduremay include sending, from the SMF 210 to the AMF 206, eitherNsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Response (Cause, SM Context ID or N1 SMcontainer (PDU Session Reject(Cause))) or anNsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response. An optional PDU Sessionauthentication/authorization may then be performed. Further, operationsmay be performed for PCF selection and SM Policy AssociationEstablishment or SMF initiated SM Policy Association Modification, UPFselection, SMF initiated SM Policy Association Modification, and/or N4Session Establishment/Modification Request and N4 SessionEstablishment/Modification Response.

The SMF 210 sends Namf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 222 to the AMF206, including an Information Element (IE) “User Plane SecurityEnforcement information”, which indicates the UP security policy. Asdiscussed above, the UP security policy is at the granularity of the PDUsession.

The AMF 206 sends an N2 PDU Session Request 224 to the (R)AN 204. The N2PDU Session Request 224 includes N2 SM information and a non-accessstratum (NAS) message (PDU Session ID, N1 SM container (PDU SessionEstablishment Accept)). The N2 PDU Session Request 224 may also includecore network (CN) assisted RAN parameters tuning. The NAS messageincludes N2 SM information received from the SMF 210. The N2 PDU SessionRequest 224 includes the UP security policy, which is at the granularityof PDU session.

The (R)AN 204 and the UE 202 then perform an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration procedure 226. An RRC Connection Reconfiguration messagesent from the (R)AN 204 to the UE 202 includes a UP integrity indicationand UP ciphering indication for each DRB. Since the (R)AN 204 (e.g.,gNB, ng-eNB or other base station) can only do the configuration perDRB, configuration by the (R)AN 204 is at the granularity of DRB whereinall the DRB in the same PDU session have the same UP security policy.After the UP security activation, the UE 202 sends an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message to the (R)AN 204. The RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message is protected with keys for uplinktraffic (Kupint and Kupenc).

The (R)AN 204 sends an N2 PDU Session Response 228 to the AMF 206. TheN2 PDU Session Response 228 may include one or more of the PDU SessionID, Cause, and N2 SM information. The N2 SM information may include thePDU Session ID, access node (AN) Tunnel Info, a list ofaccepted/rejected QoS Flow Identifier(s) (QFI(s)), and User PlaneEnforcement Policy Notification.

The UE 202 may send first uplink data 230 before continuing with the PDUSession Establishment procedure.

To provide finer granularity for UP security policy configuration, inone embodiment, the SMF 210 configures QoS flow level UP security policyduring PDU session establishment. In another embodiment, the SMF 210configures DRB level UP security policy during PDU sessionestablishment. In another embodiment, the (R)AN 204 configures DRB levelUP security policy during PDU session establishment. In anotherembodiment, the (R)AN 204 configures QoS flow level UP security policyduring PDU session establishment. Although the example embodiments aredirected to UE initiated PDU Session Establishment procedures. Skilledpersons will recognize from the disclosure herein that other PDU SessionEstablishment procedures may be used such as a UE initiated PDU Sessionhandover between RATs, a UE initiated PDU Session handover from EPS to5G system, or a network triggered PDU Session Establishment procedure.

FIG. 3 is a call flow 300 illustrating SMF configuration of QoS flowlevel UP security policy according to one embodiment. The PDU SessionEstablishment procedure of the call flow 300 is similar to the PDUSession Establishment procedure of the call flow 200 shown in FIG. 2 .For example, the PDU session establishment request 214, SMF selection216, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request 218, and subscriptionretrieval 220 may be the same as those discussed above. However, afterthe subscription retrieval 220, the PDU Session Establishment procedureshown in FIG. 3 includes the SMF 210 sendingNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 302 to the AMF 206, wherein theNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 302 includes the IE User PlaneSecurity Enforcement Information indicating a UP security policy at thegranularity of QoS flow. Thus, the UP security policy may indicate thatdifferent QoS have different UP security policies. In certain suchembodiments, the UP security policy may be part of QoS rules or QoSprofiles. In certain embodiments, the granularity of the UP securitypolicy may be based at least in part on a UE capability message thatindicates a UE integrity protection maximum data rate (e.g., 64 kbps orfull data rate). In certain embodiments, the UE capability message, or aseparate indication by the UE, may include an indication of support forat least one of DRB level UP security policy and QoS flow level UPsecurity policy. In certain such embodiments, when the UE includes theindication of support for at least one of DRB level UP security policyand QoS flow level UP security policy, the network may take the UE'sindication of capability into account and use the corresponding level ofUP security policy. If no such indication is included in the UEcapability message, the network may configure any level of UP securitypolicy and the UE may ignore those levels that it is not configured tohandle.

The AMF 206 sends, to the (R)AN 204, a N2 PDU Session Request 304 thatincludes the UP security policy at the granularity of QoS flow. The N2PDU Session Request 304 may include N2 SM information and a NAS message(PDU Session ID, N1 SM container (PDU Session Establishment Accept)).The N2 PDU Session Request 304 may also include CN assisted RANparameters tuning. The NAS message may include N2 SM informationreceived from the SMF 210. Because the UP security policy is at thegranularity of QoS flow, the UP security policy may indicate thatdifferent QoS flows have different UP security policies. In certainembodiments, the UP security policy may be part of QoS rules or QoSprofiles.

The (R)AN 204 and the UE 202 then perform an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration procedure 306 An RRC Connection Reconfiguration messagesent from the (R)AN 204 to the UE 202 includes a UP integrity indicationand UP ciphering indication. In certain embodiments, configuration ofthe UP security policy by the (R)AN 204 is at the QoS flow level (seeFIG. 6 ) or at the DRB level (see FIG. 5 ), depending on implementationof the (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, or other base station). After theUP security activation, the UE 202 sends an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message to the (R)AN 204. The RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message is protected with keys for uplinktraffic (Kupint and Kupenc).

The (R)AN 204 sends an N2 PDU Session Response 228 to the AMF 206. TheN2 PDU Session Response 228 may include one or more of the PDU SessionID, Cause, and N2 SM information. The N2 SM information may include thePDU Session ID, access node (AN) Tunnel Info, a list ofaccepted/rejected QoS Flow Identifier(s) (QFI(s)), and User PlaneEnforcement Policy Notification.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , it may be that only some of theQoS flows/DRBs between the UE 202 and the (R)AN 204 are configured withUP IP, which reduces the burden of the UE's consumption of handling theUP IP.

FIG. 4 is a call flow 400 illustrating SMF configuration of DRB level UPsecurity policy according to one embodiment. The PDU SessionEstablishment procedure of the call flow 400 is similar to the PDUSession Establishment procedure of the call flow 200 shown in FIG. 2 .For example, the PDU session establishment request 214, SMF selection216, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request 218, and subscriptionretrieval 220 may be the same as those discussed above. However, afterthe subscription retrieval 220, the PDU Session Establishment procedureshown in FIG. 4 includes the SMF 210 sendingNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 402 to the AMF 206, wherein theNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 402 includes the IE User PlaneSecurity Enforcement Information indicating a UP security policy at thegranularity of DRB. Thus, the UP security policy may indicate thatdifferent DRBs have different UP security policies. In certainembodiments, the granularity of the UP security policy may be based atleast in part on a UE capability message that indicates a UE integrityprotection maximum data rate (e.g., 64 kbps or full data rate). Incertain embodiments, the UE capability message, or a separate indicationby the UE, may include an indication of support for at least one of DRBlevel UP security policy and QoS flow level UP security policy. Incertain such embodiments, when the UE includes the indication of supportfor at least one of DRB level UP security policy and QoS flow level UPsecurity policy, the network may take the UE's indication of capabilityinto account and use the corresponding level of UP security policy. Ifno such indication is included in the UE capability message, the networkmay configure any level of UP security policy and the UE may ignorethose levels that it is not configured to handle.

The AMF 206 sends, to the (R)AN 204, a N2 PDU Session Request 404 thatincludes the UP security policy at the granularity of DRB. The N2 PDUSession Request 404 may include N2 SM information and a NAS message (PDUSession ID, N1 SM container (PDU Session Establishment Accept)). The N2PDU Session Request 404 may also include CN assisted RAN parameterstuning. The NAS message may include N2 SM information received from theSMF 210. Because the UP security policy is at the granularity of DRB,the UP security policy may indicate that different DRBs have differentUP security policies.

The (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, or other base station) and the UE 202then perform an RRC Connection Reconfiguration procedure 406. An RRCConnection Reconfiguration message sent from the (R)AN 204 to the UE 202includes a UP integrity indication and UP ciphering indication. Incertain embodiments, configuration of the UP security policy by the(R)AN 204 is at the QoS flow level (see FIG. 6 ) or at the DRB level(see FIG. 5 ), depending on implementation of the (R)AN 204. The (R)AN204 may determine to map the DRB UP security policy to QoS flow andconfigure the QoS level UP security policy to the UE 202, or the (R)AN204 may directly configure the DRB level UP security policy. After theUP security activation, the UE 202 sends an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message to the (R)AN 204. The RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message is protected with keys for uplinktraffic (Kupint and Kupenc).

The (R)AN 204 sends a N2 PDU Session Response 228 to the AMF 206. The N2PDU Session Response 228 may include one or more of the PDU Session ID,Cause, and N2 SM information. The N2 SM information may include the PDUSession ID, access node (AN) Tunnel Info, a list of accepted/rejectedQoS Flow Identifier(s) (QFI(s)), and User Plane Enforcement PolicyNotification.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , it may be that only some of theQoS flows/DRBs between the UE 202 and the (R)AN 204 are configured withUP IP, which reduces the burden of the UE's consumption of handling theUP IP.

FIG. 5 is a call flow 500 illustrating (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, orother base station) configuration of DRB level UP security policyaccording to one embodiment. The PDU Session Establishment procedure ofthe call flow 400 is similar to the PDU Session Establishment procedureof the call flow 200 shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the PDU sessionestablishment request 214, SMF selection 216,Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request 218, and subscription retrieval220 may be the same as those discussed above. However, after thesubscription retrieval 220, the PDU Session Establishment procedureshown in FIG. 5 includes the SMF 210 sendingNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 502 to the AMF 206, wherein theNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 502 includes the IE User PlaneSecurity Enforcement Information indicating a UP security policy at thegranularity of PDU session, DRB, or QoS flow. In certain embodiments,the granularity of the UP security policy may be based at least in parton a UE capability message that indicates a UE integrity protectionmaximum data rate (e.g., 64 kbps or full data rate). In certainembodiments, the UE capability message, or a separate indication by theUE, may include an indication of support for at least one of DRB levelUP security policy and QoS flow level UP security policy. In certainsuch embodiments, when the UE includes the indication of support for atleast one of DRB level UP security policy and QoS flow level UP securitypolicy, the network may take the UE's indication of capability intoaccount and use the corresponding level of UP security policy. If nosuch indication is included in the UE capability message, the networkmay configure any level of UP security policy and the UE may ignorethose levels that it is not configured to handle.

The AMF 206 sends, to the (R)AN 204, a N2 PDU Session Request 504 thatincludes the UP security policy at the granularity of PDU session, DRB,or QoS flow. The N2 PDU Session Request 504 may include N2 SMinformation and a NAS message (PDU Session ID, N1 SM container (PDUSession Establishment Accept)). The N2 PDU Session Request 504 may alsoinclude CN assisted RAN parameters tuning. The NAS message may includeN2 SM information received from the SMF 210.

The (R)AN 204 and the UE 202 then perform an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration procedure 506. An RRC Connection Reconfiguration messagesent from the (R)AN 204 to the UE 202 includes a UP integrity indicationand UP ciphering indication for each DRB. When the UP security policyfrom the SMF 210 is at a PDU session level, the PDU SessionEstablishment procedure may proceed with the RRC ConnectionReconfiguration procedure 226 and the N2 PDU Session Response 228 asdiscussed above with respect to the call flow 200 shown in FIG. 2 . Inother words, configuration by the (R)AN 204 is at the granularity of DRBwherein all the DRB in the same PDU session have the same UP securitypolicy.

If, however, the UP security policy from the SMF 210 is at a DRB level,the (R)AN 204 may configure the UE 202 with the DRB level UP securitypolicy.

When the UP security policy from the SMF 210 is at a QoS flow level, the(R)AN 204 may perform mapping from QoS flow to DRB and configure the UE202 with the DRB level UP security policy. In certain such embodiments,the (R)AN 204 has the capability to determine the UP security policy forevery DRB from the given SMF UP security policy.

After the UP security activation, the UE 202 sends an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message to the (R)AN 204. The RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message is protected with keys for uplinktraffic (Kupint and Kupenc).

The (R)AN 204 sends an N2 PDU Session Response 228 to the AMF 206. TheN2 PDU Session Response 228 may include one or more of the PDU SessionID, Cause, and N2 SM information. The N2 SM information may include thePDU Session ID, access node (AN) Tunnel Info, a list ofaccepted/rejected QoS Flow Identifier(s) (QFI(s)), and User PlaneEnforcement Policy Notification.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , it may be that only some of theDRBs between the UE 202 and the (R)AN 204 are configured with UP IP,which reduces the burden of the UE's consumption of handling the UP IP.

FIG. 6 is a call flow 600 illustrating (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, orother base station) configuration of QoS flow level UP security policyaccording to one embodiment. The PDU Session Establishment procedure ofthe call flow 400 is similar to the PDU Session Establishment procedureof the call flow 200 shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the PDU sessionestablishment request 214, SMF selection 216,Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request 218, and subscription retrieval220 may be the same as those discussed above. However, after thesubscription retrieval 220, the PDU Session Establishment procedureshown in FIG. 6 includes the SMF 210 sendingNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 602 to the AMF 206, wherein theNamf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer 602 includes the IE User PlaneSecurity Enforcement Information indicating a UP security policy at thegranularity of PDU session, DRB, or QoS flow. In certain embodiments,the granularity of the UP security policy may be based at least in parton a UE capability message that indicates a UE integrity protectionmaximum data rate (e.g., 64 kbps or full data rate). In certainembodiments, the UE capability message, or a separate indication by theUE, may include an indication of support for at least one of DRB levelUP security policy and QoS flow level UP security policy. In certainsuch embodiments, when the UE includes the indication of support for atleast one of DRB level UP security policy and QoS flow level UP securitypolicy, the network may take the UE's indication of capability intoaccount and use the corresponding level of UP security policy. If nosuch indication is included in the UE capability message, the networkmay configure any level of UP security policy and the UE may ignorethose levels that it is not configured to handle.

The AMF 206 sends, to the (R)AN 204, a N2 PDU Session Request 604 thatincludes the UP security policy at the granularity of PDU session, DRB,or QoS flow. The N2 PDU Session Request 604 may include N2 SMinformation and a NAS message (PDU Session ID, N1 SM container (PDUSession Establishment Accept)). The N2 PDU Session Request 604 may alsoinclude CN assisted RAN parameters tuning. The NAS message may includeN2 SM information received from the SMF 210.

The (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB or other base station) and the UE 202 thenperform an RRC Connection Reconfiguration procedure 606. An RRCConnection Reconfiguration message sent from the (R)AN 204 to the UE 202includes a UP integrity indication and UP ciphering indication for eachDRB.

When the UP security policy from the SMF 210 is at a PDU session level,the (R)AN 204 may define a finer granularity UP security policy on theQoS flow level, and configure QoS flow level UP security policy for theUE 202.

When the UP security policy from the SMF 210 is at a DRB level, the(R)AN 204 may perform mapping from the DRB level to QoS flow level andconfigure the QoS level security to the UE 202. In certain suchembodiments, The (R)AN 204 has the capability to determine the UPsecurity policy for every QoS flow from the given DRB level UP securitypolicy.

When the UP security policy from the SMF 210 is at a QoS flow level, the(R)AN 204 may configure the QoS level UP security policy to UE 202.

After the UP security activation, the UE 202 sends an RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message to the (R)AN 204. The RRC ConnectionReconfiguration Complete message is protected with keys for uplinktraffic (Kupint and Kupenc).

The (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB or other base station) sends an N2 PDU SessionResponse 228 to the AMF 206. The N2 PDU Session Response 228 may includeone or more of the PDU Session ID, Cause, and N2 SM information. The N2SM information may include the PDU Session ID, access node (AN) TunnelInfo, a list of accepted/rejected QoS Flow Identifier(s) (QFI(s)), andUser Plane Enforcement Policy Notification.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , it may be that only some of theQoS flows between the UE 202 and the (R)AN 204 (e.g., gNB or other basestation) are configured with UP IP, which reduces the burden of the UE'sconsumption of handling the UP IP.

In certain embodiments, 5G System architecture supports dataconnectivity and services enabling deployments to use techniques such asNetwork Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networking. The 5GSystem architecture may leverage service-based interactions betweenControl Plane Network Functions. Separating User Plane functions fromthe Control Plane functions allows independent scalability, evolution,and flexible deployments (e.g., centralized location or distributed(remote) location). Modularized function design allows for functionre-use and may enable flexible and efficient network slicing. A NetworkFunction and its Network Function Services may interact with another NFand its Network Function Services directly or indirectly via a ServiceCommunication Proxy. Another intermediate function may help routeControl Plane messages. The architecture minimizes dependencies betweenthe AN and the CN. The architecture may include a converged core networkwith a common AN-CN interface that integrates different Access Types(e.g., 3GPP access and non-3GPP access). The architecture may alsosupport a unified authentication framework, stateless NFs where thecompute resource is decoupled from the storage resource, capabilityexposure, concurrent access to local and centralized services (tosupport low latency services and access to local data networks, UserPlane functions can be deployed close to the AN), and/or roaming withboth Home routed traffic as well as Local breakout traffic in thevisited PLMN.

The 5G architecture may be defined as service-based and the interactionbetween network functions may include a service-based representation,where network functions (e.g., AMF) within the Control Plane enableother authorized network functions to access their services. Theservice-based representation may also include point-to-point referencepoints. A reference point representation may also be used to show theinteractions between the NF services in the network functions describedby point-to-point reference point (e.g., N11) between any two networkfunctions (e.g., AMF and SMF).

FIG. 7 illustrates a service based architecture 700 in 5GS according toone embodiment. As described in 3GPP TS 23.501, the service basedarchitecture 700 comprises NFs such as an NSSF 702, a NEF 704, an NRF706, a PCF 708, a UDM 710, an AUSF 712, an AMF 714, an SMF 716, forcommunication with a UE 720, a (R)AN 722, a UPF 724, and a DN 726. TheNFs and NF services can communicate directly, referred to as DirectCommunication, or indirectly via a SCP 718, referred to as IndirectCommunication. FIG. 7 also shows corresponding service-based interfacesincluding Nutm, Naf, Nudm, Npcf, Nsmf, Nnrf, Namf, Nnef, Nnssf, andNausf, as well as reference points N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6. A few examplefunctions provided by the NFs shown in FIG. 7 are described below.

The NSSF 702 supports functionality such as: selecting the set ofNetwork Slice instances serving the UE; determining the Allowed NSSAIand, if needed, mapping to the Subscribed S-NSSAIs; determining theConfigured NSSAI and, if needed, the mapping to the Subscribed S-NSSAIs;and/or determining the AMF Set to be used to serve the UE, or, based onconfiguration, a list of candidate AMF(s), possibly by querying the NRF.

The NEF 704 supports exposure of capabilities and events. NFcapabilities and events may be securely exposed by the NEF 704 (e.g.,for 3rd party, Application Functions, and/or Edge Computing). The NEF704 may store/retrieve information as structured data using astandardized interface (Nudr) to a UDR. The NEF 704 may also secureprovision of information from an external application to 3GPP networkand may provide for the Application Functions to securely provideinformation to the 3GPP network (e.g., expected UE behavior, 5GLAN groupinformation, and service specific information), wherein the NEF 704 mayauthenticate and authorize and assist in throttling the ApplicationFunctions. The NEF 704 may provide translation of internal-externalinformation by translating between information exchanged with the AF andinformation exchanged with the internal network function. For example,the NEF 704 translates between an AF-Service-Identifier and internal 5GCore information such as DNN and S-NSSAI. The NEF 704 may handle maskingof network and user sensitive information to external AF's according tothe network policy. The NEF 704 may receive information from othernetwork functions (based on exposed capabilities of other networkfunctions), and stores the received information as structured data usinga standardized interface to a UDR. The stored information can beaccessed and re-exposed by the NEF 704 to other network functions andApplication Functions, and used for other purposes such as analytics.For external exposure of services related to specific UE(s), the NEF 704may reside in the HPLMN. Depending on operator agreements, the NEF 704in the HPLMN may have interface(s) with NF(s) in the VPLMN. When a UE iscapable of switching between EPC and 5GC, an SCEF+NEF may be used forservice exposure.

The NRF 706 supports service discovery function by receiving an NFDiscovery Request from an NF instance or SCP and providing theinformation of the discovered NF instances to the NF instance or SCP.The NRF 706 may also support P-CSCF discovery (specialized case of AFdiscovery by SMF), maintains the NF profile of available NF instancesand their supported services, and/or notify about newlyregistered/updated/deregistered NF instances along with its NF servicesto the subscribed NF service consumer or SCP. In the context of NetworkSlicing, based on network implementation, multiple NRFs can be deployedat different levels such as a PLMN level (the NRF is configured withinformation for the whole PLMN), a shared-slice level (the NRF isconfigured with information belonging to a set of Network Slices),and/or a slice-specific level (the NRF is configured with informationbelonging to an S-NSSAI). In the context of roaming, multiple NRFs maybe deployed in the different networks, wherein the NRF(s) in the VisitedPLMN (known as the vNRF) are configured with information for the visitedPLMN, and wherein the NRF(s) in the Home PLMN (known as the hNRF) areconfigured with information for the home PLMN, referenced by the vNRFvia an N27 interface.

The PCF 708 supports a unified policy framework to govern networkbehavior. The PCF 708 provides policy rules to Control Plane function(s)to enforce them. The PCF 708 accesses subscription information relevantfor policy decisions in a Unified Data Repository (UDR). The PCF 708 mayaccess the UDR located in the same PLMN as the PCF.

The UDM 710 supports generation of 3GPP AKA Authentication Credentials,User Identification Handling (e.g., storage and management of SUPI foreach subscriber in the 5G system), de-concealment of a privacy-protectedsubscription identifier (SUCI), access authorization based onsubscription data (e.g., roaming restrictions), UE's Serving NFRegistration Management (e.g., storing serving AMF for UE, storingserving SMF for UE's PDU Session), service/session continuity (e.g., bykeeping SMF/DNN assignment of ongoing sessions, MT-SMS delivery, LawfulIntercept Functionality (especially in outbound roaming cases where aUDM is the only point of contact for LI), subscription management, SMSmanagement, 5GLAN group management handling, and/or external parameterprovisioning (Expected UE Behavior parameters or Network Configurationparameters). To provide such functionality, the UDM 710 usessubscription data (including authentication data) that may be stored ina UDR, in which case a UDM implements the application logic and may notrequire an internal user data storage and several different UDMs mayserve the same user in different transactions. The UDM 710 may belocated in the HPLMN of the subscribers it serves, and may access theinformation of the UDR located in the same PLMN.

The AUSF 712 supports authentication for 3GPP access and untrustednon-3GPP access. The AUSF 712 may also provide support for NetworkSlice-Specific Authentication and Authorization.

The AMF 714 supports termination of RAN CP interface (N2), terminationof NAS (N1) for NAS ciphering and integrity protection, registrationmanagement, connection management, reachability management, MobilityManagement, lawful intercept (for AMF events and interface to LISystem), transport for SM messages between UE and SMF, transparent proxyfor routing SM messages, Access Authentication, Access Authorization,transport for SMS messages between UE and SMSF, SEAF, Location Servicesmanagement for regulatory services, transport for Location Servicesmessages between UE and LMF as well as between RAN and LMF, EPS BearerID allocation for interworking with EPS, UE mobility event notification,Control Plane CIoT 5GS Optimization, User Plane CIoT 5GS Optimization,provisioning of external parameters (Expected UE Behavior parameters orNetwork Configuration parameters), and/or Network Slice-SpecificAuthentication and Authorization. Some or all of the AMF functionalitiesmay be supported in a single instance of the AMF 714. Regardless of thenumber of Network functions, in certain embodiments there is only oneNAS interface instance per access network between the UE and the CN,terminated at one of the Network functions that implements at least NASsecurity and Mobility Management. The AMF 714 may also include policyrelated functionalities.

In addition to the functionalities described above, the AMF 714 mayinclude the following functionality to support non-3GPP access networks:support of N2 interface with N3IWF/TNGF, over which some information(e.g., 3GPP Cell Identification) and procedures (e.g., Handover related)defined over 3GPP access may not apply, and non-3GPP access specificinformation may be applied that do not apply to 3GPP accesses; supportof NAS signaling with a UE over N3IWF/TNGF, wherein some proceduressupported by NAS signaling over 3GPP access may be not applicable tountrusted non-3GPP (e.g., Paging) access; support of authentication ofUEs connected over N3IWF/TNGF; management of mobility, authentication,and separate security context state(s) of a UE connected via a non-3GPPaccess or connected via a 3GPP access and a non-3GPP accesssimultaneously; support a coordinated RM management context valid over a3GPP access and a Non 3GPP access; and/or support dedicated CMmanagement contexts for the UE for connectivity over non-3GPP access.Not all of the above functionalities may be required to be supported inan instance of a Network Slice.

The SMF 716 supports Session Management (e.g., Session Establishment,modify and release, including tunnel maintain between UPF and AN node),UE IP address allocation & management (including optional Authorization)wherein the UE IP address may be received from a UPF or from an externaldata network, DHCPv4 (server and client) and DHCPv6 (server and client)functions, functionality to respond to Address Resolution Protocolrequests and/or IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation requests based on local cacheinformation for the Ethernet PDUs (e.g., the SMF responds to the ARPand/or the IPv6 Neighbor Solicitation Request by providing the MACaddress corresponding to the IP address sent in the request), selectionand control of User Plane functions including controlling the UPF toproxy ARP or IPv6 Neighbor Discovery or to forward all ARP/IPv6 NeighborSolicitation traffic to the SMF for Ethernet PDU Sessions, trafficsteering configuration at the UPF to route traffic to properdestinations, 5G VN group management (e.g., maintain the topology of theinvolved PSA UPFs, establish and release the N19 tunnels between PSAUPFs, configure traffic forwarding at UPF to apply local switching,and/or N6-based forwarding or N19-based forwarding), termination ofinterfaces towards Policy control functions, lawful intercept (for SMevents and interface to LI System), charging data collection and supportof charging interfaces, control and coordination of charging datacollection at the UPF, termination of SM parts of NAS messages, DownlinkData Notification, Initiator of AN specific SM information sent via AMFover N2 to AN, determination of SSC mode of a session, Control PlaneCIoT 5GS Optimization, header compression, acting as I-SMF indeployments where I-SMF can be inserted/removed/relocated, provisioningof external parameters (Expected UE Behavior parameters or NetworkConfiguration parameters), P-CSCF discovery for IMS services, roamingfunctionality (e.g., handle local enforcement to apply QoS SLAB (VPLMN),charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN), and/or lawfulintercept (in VPLMN for SM events and interface to LI System),interaction with external DN for transport of signaling for PDU Sessionauthentication/authorization by external DN, and/or instructing UPF andNG-RAN to perform redundant transmission on N3/N9 interfaces. Some orall of the SMF functionalities may be supported in a single instance ofa SMF. However, in certain embodiments, not all of the functionalitiesare required to be supported in an instance of a Network Slice. Inaddition to the functionalities, the SMF 716 may include policy relatedfunctionalities.

The SCP 718 includes one or more of the following functionalities:Indirect Communication; Delegated Discovery; message forwarding androuting to destination NF/NF services; communication security (e.g.,authorization of the NF Service Consumer to access the NF ServiceProducer's API), load balancing, monitoring, overload control, etc.;and/or optionally interact with the UDR, to resolve the UDM Group ID/UDRGroup ID/AUSF Group ID/PCF Group ID/CHF Group ID/HSS Group ID based onUE identity (e.g., SUPI or IMPI/IMPU). Some or all of the SCPfunctionalities may be supported in a single instance of an SCP. Incertain embodiments, the SCP 718 may be deployed in a distributed mannerand/or more than one SCP can be present in the communication pathbetween NF Services. SCPs can be deployed at PLMN level, shared-slicelevel, and slice-specific level. It may be left to operator deploymentto ensure that SCPs can communicate with relevant NRFs.

The UE 720 may include a device with radio communication capabilities.For example, the UE 720 may comprise a smartphone (e.g., handheldtouchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellularnetworks). The UE 720 may also comprise any mobile or non-mobilecomputing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers,laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computingdevice including a wireless communications interface. A UE may also bereferred to as a client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, userterminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user,remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment,reconfigurable radio equipment, or reconfigurable mobile device. The UE720 may comprise an IoT UE, which can comprise a network access layerdesigned for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UEconnections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies (e.g., M2M, MTC, or mMTCtechnology) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a PLMN,other UEs using ProSe or D2D communications, sensor networks, or IoTnetworks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiatedexchange of data. An IoT network describes interconnecting IoT UEs,which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices(within the Internet infrastructure). The IoT UEs may execute backgroundapplications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) tofacilitate the connections of the IoT network.

The UE 720 may be configured to connect or communicatively couple withthe (R)AN 722 through a radio interface 730, which may be a physicalcommunication interface or layer configured to operate with cellularcommunication protocols such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol,a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, aUMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, andthe like. For example, the UE 720 and the (R)AN 722 may use a Uuinterface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange control plane data viaa protocol stack comprising a PHY layer, an MAC layer, an RLC layer, aPDCP layer, and an RRC layer. A DL transmission may be from the (R)AN722 to the UE 720 and a UL transmission may be from the UE 720 to the(R)AN 722. The UE 720 may further use a sidelink to communicate directlywith another UE (not shown) for D2D, P2P, and/or ProSe communication.For example, a ProSe interface may comprise one or more logicalchannels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink ControlChannel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a PhysicalSidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink BroadcastChannel (PSBCH).

The (R)AN 722 can include one or more access nodes, which may bereferred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), nextGeneration NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, controllers, transmission receptionpoints (TRPs), and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g.,terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coveragewithin a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The (R)AN 722 may include oneor more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, picocells, femtocells, orother types of cells. A macrocell may cover a relatively largegeographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A picocell maycover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestrictedaccess by UEs with service subscription. A femtocell may cover arelatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restrictedaccess by UEs having an association with the femtocell (e.g., UEs in aClosed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.).

Although not shown, multiple RAN nodes (such as the (R)AN 722) may beused, wherein an Xn interface is defined between two or more nodes. Insome implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane(Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U mayprovide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support/providedata forwarding and flow control functionality. The Xn-C may providemanagement and error handling functionality, functionality to manage theXn-C interface; mobility support for the UE 720 in a connected mode(e.g., CM-CONNECTED) including functionality to manage the UE mobilityfor connected mode between one or more (R)AN nodes. The mobility supportmay include context transfer from an old (source) serving (R)AN node tonew (target) serving (R)AN node; and control of user plane tunnelsbetween old (source) serving (R)AN node to new (target) serving (R)ANnode.

The UPF 724 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RATmobility, an external PDU session point of interconnect to the DN 726,and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU session. The UPF 724may also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection,enforce user plane part of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (UPcollection); traffic usage reporting, perform QoS handling for userplane (e.g. packet filtering, gating, UL/DL rate enforcement), performUplink Traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transportlevel packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and downlink packetbuffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 724 mayinclude an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to a datanetwork. The DN 726 may represent various network operator services,Internet access, or third party services. The DN 726 may include, forexample, an application server.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of infrastructure equipment 800 inaccordance with various embodiments. The infrastructure equipment 800may be implemented as a base station, radio head, RAN node, AN,application server, and/or any other element/device discussed herein. Inother examples, the infrastructure equipment 800 could be implemented inor by a UE.

The infrastructure equipment 800 includes application circuitry 802,baseband circuitry 804, one or more radio front end module 806 (RFEM),memory circuitry 808, power management integrated circuitry (shown asPMIC 810), power tee circuitry 812, network controller circuitry 814,network interface connector 820, satellite positioning circuitry 816,and user interface circuitry 818. In some embodiments, the deviceinfrastructure equipment 800 may include additional elements such as,for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output(I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described belowmay be included in more than one device. For example, said circuitriesmay be separately included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, orother like implementations. Application circuitry 802 includes circuitrysuch as, but not limited to one or more processors (or processor cores),cache memory, and one or more of low drop-out voltage regulators (LDOs),interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I²C or universalprogrammable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC),timer-counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purposeinput/output (I/O or IO), memory card controllers such as Secure Digital(SD) MultiMediaCard (MMC) or similar, Universal Serial Bus (USB)interfaces, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interfaces andJoint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports. The processors (orcores) of the application circuitry 802 may be coupled with or mayinclude memory/storage elements and may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applicationsor operating systems to run on the infrastructure equipment 800. In someimplementations, the memory/storage elements may be on-chip memorycircuitry, which may include any suitable volatile and/or non-volatilememory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash memory, solid-statememory, and/or any other type of memory device technology, such as thosediscussed herein.

The processor(s) of application circuitry 802 may include, for example,one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors,one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISCMachine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing(CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSP), one ormore FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or moremicroprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the application circuitry 802 may comprise, or may be,a special-purpose processor/controller to operate according to thevarious embodiments herein. As examples, the processor(s) of applicationcircuitry 802 may include one or more Intel Pentium®, Core®, or Xeon®processor(s); Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processor(s),Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), or Epyc® processors; ARM-basedprocessor(s) licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd. such as the ARM Cortex-Afamily of processors and the ThunderX2® provided by Cavium™, Inc.; aMIPS-based design from MIPS Technologies, Inc. such as MIPS WarriorP-class processors; and/or the like. In some embodiments, theinfrastructure equipment 800 may not utilize application circuitry 802,and instead may include a special-purpose processor/controller toprocess IP data received from an EPC or 5GC, for example.

In some implementations, the application circuitry 802 may include oneor more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors,programmable processing devices, or the like. The one or more hardwareaccelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and/or deeplearning (DL) accelerators. As examples, the programmable processingdevices may be one or more a field-programmable devices (FPDs) such asfield-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and the like; programmable logicdevices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs(HCPLDs), and the like; ASICs such as structured ASICs and the like;programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and the like. In such implementations, thecircuitry of application circuitry 802 may comprise logic blocks orlogic fabric, and other interconnected resources that may be programmedto perform various functions, such as the procedures, methods,functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In suchembodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 802 may includememory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM),anti-fuses, etc.)) used to store logic blocks, logic fabric, data, etc.in look-up-tables (LUTs) and the like. The baseband circuitry 804 may beimplemented, for example, as a solder-down substrate including one ormore integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit solderedto a main circuit board or a multi-chip module containing two or moreintegrated circuits.

The user interface circuitry 818 may include one or more user interfacesdesigned to enable user interaction with the infrastructure equipment800 or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheralcomponent interaction with the infrastructure equipment 800. Userinterfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical orvirtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g.,light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, atouchpad, a touchscreen, speakers or other audio emitting devices,microphones, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen ordisplay device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, butare not limited to, a nonvolatile memory port, a universal serial bus(USB) port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

The radio front end module 806 may comprise a millimeter wave (mmWave)radio front end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequencyintegrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or moresub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. TheRFICs may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays,and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternativeimplementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions may beimplemented in the same physical radio front end module 806, whichincorporates both mmWave antennas and sub-mmWave.

The memory circuitry 808 may include one or more of volatile memoryincluding dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or synchronous dynamicrandom access memory (SDRAM), and nonvolatile memory (NVM) includinghigh-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as Flashmemory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistiverandom access memory (MRAM), etc., and may incorporate thethree-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memories from Intel® andMicron®. The memory circuitry 808 may be implemented as one or more ofsolder down packaged integrated circuits, socketed memory modules andplug-in memory cards.

The PMIC 810 may include voltage regulators, surge protectors, poweralarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources such asa battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuitry may detectone or more of brown out (under-voltage) and surge (over-voltage)conditions. The power tee circuitry 812 may provide for electrical powerdrawn from a network cable to provide both power supply and dataconnectivity to the infrastructure equipment 800 using a single cable.

The network controller circuitry 814 may provide connectivity to anetwork using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet,Ethernet over GRE Tunnels, Ethernet over Multiprotocol Label Switching(MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may beprovided to/from the infrastructure equipment 800 via network interfaceconnector 820 using a physical connection, which may be electrical(commonly referred to as a “copper interconnect”), optical, or wireless.The network controller circuitry 814 may include one or more dedicatedprocessors and/or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of theaforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the networkcontroller circuitry 814 may include multiple controllers to provideconnectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

The positioning circuitry 816 includes circuitry to receive and decodesignals transmitted/broadcasted by a positioning network of a globalnavigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satelliteconstellations (or GNSS) include United States' Global PositioningSystem (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the EuropeanUnion's Galileo System, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, aregional navigation system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g., Navigationwith Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System(QZSS), France's Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integratedby Satellite (DORIS), etc.), or the like. The positioning circuitry 816comprises various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devicessuch as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, and the like tofacilitate OTA communications) to communicate with components of apositioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes.In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 816 may include aMicro-Technology for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Micro-PNT) ICthat uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking/estimationwithout GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry 816 may also be partof, or interact with, the baseband circuitry 804 and/or radio front endmodule 806 to communicate with the nodes and components of thepositioning network. The positioning circuitry 816 may also provideposition data and/or time data to the application circuitry 802, whichmay use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure,or the like. The components shown by FIG. 8 may communicate with oneanother using interface circuitry, which may include any number of busand/or interconnect (IX) technologies such as industry standardarchitecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral componentinterconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCix),PCI express (PCie), or any number of other technologies. The bus/IX maybe a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC based system. Otherbus/IX systems may be included, such as an I²C interface, an SPIinterface, point to point interfaces, and a power bus, among others.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a platform 900 in accordance withvarious embodiments. In embodiments, the computer platform 900 may besuitable for use as UEs, application servers, and/or any otherelement/device discussed herein. The platform 900 may include anycombinations of the components shown in the example. The components ofplatform 900 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portionsthereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware,software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computerplatform 900, or as components otherwise incorporated within a chassisof a larger system. The block diagram of FIG. 9 is intended to show ahigh level view of components of the computer platform 900. However,some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components maybe present, and different arrangement of the components shown may occurin other implementations.

Application circuitry 902 includes circuitry such as, but not limited toone or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one ormore of LDOs, interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I²Cor universal programmable serial interface module, RTC, timer-countersincluding interval and watchdog timers, general purpose IO, memory cardcontrollers such as SD MMC or similar, USB interfaces, MIPI interfaces,and JTAG test access ports. The processors (or cores) of the applicationcircuitry 902 may be coupled with or may include memory/storage elementsand may be configured to execute instructions stored in thememory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems torun on the platform 900. In some implementations, the memory/storageelements may be on-chip memory circuitry, which may include any suitablevolatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM,Flash memory, solid-state memory, and/or any other type of memory devicetechnology, such as those discussed herein.

The processor(s) of application circuitry 902 may include, for example,one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one ormore GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, oneor more CISC processors, one or more DSP, one or more FPGAs, one or morePLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, amultithreaded processor, an ultra-low voltage processor, an embeddedprocessor, some other known processing element, or any suitablecombination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 902may comprise, or may be, a special-purpose processor/controller tooperate according to the various embodiments herein.

As examples, the processor(s) of application circuitry 902 may includean Intel® Architecture Core™ based processor, such as a Quark™, anAtom™, an i3, an i5, an i7, or an MCU-class processor, or another suchprocessor available from Intel® Corporation. The processors of theapplication circuitry 902 may also be one or more of Advanced MicroDevices (AMD) Ryzen® processor(s) or Accelerated Processing Units(APUs); AS-A9 processor(s) from Apple® Inc., Snapdragon™ processor(s)from Qualcomm® Technologies, Inc., Texas Instruments, Inc.® OpenMultimedia Applications Platform (OMAP)™ processor(s); a MIPS-baseddesign from MIPS Technologies, Inc. such as MIPS Warrior M-class,Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; an ARM-based designlicensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R,and Cortex-M family of processors; or the like. In some implementations,the application circuitry 902 may be a part of a system on a chip (SoC)in which the application circuitry 902 and other components are formedinto a single integrated circuit, or a single package, such as theEdison™ or Galileo™ SoC boards from Intel® Corporation.

Additionally or alternatively, application circuitry 902 may includecircuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more a field-programmabledevices (FPDs) such as FPGAs and the like; programmable logic devices(PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), andthe like; ASICs such as structured ASICs and the like; programmable SoCs(PSoCs); and the like. In such embodiments, the circuitry of applicationcircuitry 902 may comprise logic blocks or logic fabric, and otherinterconnected resources that may be programmed to perform variousfunctions, such as the procedures, methods, functions, etc. of thevarious embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitryof application circuitry 902 may include memory cells (e.g., erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory(e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuses, etc.)) used tostore logic blocks, logic fabric, data, etc. in look-up tables (LUTs)and the like.

The baseband circuitry 904 may be implemented, for example, as asolder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, asingle packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board or amulti-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

The radio front end module 906 may comprise a millimeter wave (mmWave)radio front end module (RFEM) and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequencyintegrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or moresub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. TheRFICs may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays,and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternativeimplementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions may beimplemented in the same physical radio front end module 906, whichincorporates both mmWave antennas and sub-mmWave.

The memory circuitry 908 may include any number and type of memorydevices used to provide for a given amount of system memory. Asexamples, the memory circuitry 908 may include one or more of volatilememory including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) and/orsynchronous dynamic RAM (SD RAM), and nonvolatile memory (NVM) includinghigh-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as Flashmemory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistiverandom access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuitry 908 may bedeveloped in accordance with a Joint Electron Devices EngineeringCouncil (JEDEC) low power double data rate (LPDDR)-based design, such asLPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, or the like. Memory circuitry 908 may beimplemented as one or more of solder down packaged integrated circuits,single die package (SDP), dual die package (DDP) or quad die package(Q17P), socketed memory modules, dual inline memory modules (DIMMs)including microDIMMs or MiniDIMMs, and/or soldered onto a motherboardvia a ball grid array (BGA). In low power implementations, the memorycircuitry 908 may be on-die memory or registers associated with theapplication circuitry 902. To provide for persistent storage ofinformation such as data, applications, operating systems and so forth,memory circuitry 908 may include one or more mass storage devices, whichmay include, inter alia, a solid state disk drive (SSDD), hard diskdrive (HDD), a microHDD, resistance change memories, phase changememories, holographic memories, or chemical memories, among others. Forexample, the computer platform 900 may incorporate the three-dimensional(3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memories from Intel® and Micron®.

The removable memory 914 may include devices, circuitry,enclosures/housings, ports or receptacles, etc. used to couple portabledata storage devices with the platform 900. These portable data storagedevices may be used for mass storage purposes, and may include, forexample, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, microSDcards, xD picture cards, and the like), and USB flash drives, opticaldiscs, external HDDs, and the like.

The platform 900 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) thatis used to connect external devices with the platform 900. The externaldevices connected to the platform 900 via the interface circuitryinclude sensors 910 and electro-mechanical components (shown as EMCs912), as well as removable memory devices coupled to removable memory914.

The sensors 910 include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose isto detect events or changes in its environment and send the information(sensor data) about the detected events to some other a device, module,subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, inertiameasurement units (IMUs) comprising accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/ormagnetometers; microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) ornanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) comprising 3-axis accelerometers,3-axis gyroscopes, and/or magnetometers; level sensors; flow sensors;temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors); pressure sensors; barometricpressure sensors; gravimeters; altimeters; image capture devices (e.g.,cameras or lensless apertures); light detection and ranging (LiDAR)sensors; proximity sensors (e.g., infrared radiation detector and thelike), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers;microphones or other like audio capture devices; etc.

EMCs 912 include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is toenable platform 900 to change its state, position, and/or orientation,or move or control a mechanism or (sub)system. Additionally, EMCs 912may be configured to generate and send messages/signaling to othercomponents of the platform 900 to indicate a current state of the EMCs912. Examples of the EMCs 912 include one or more power switches, relaysincluding electromechanical relays (EMRs) and/or solid state relays(SSRs), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), an audible soundgenerator, a visual warning device, motors (e.g., DC motors, steppermotors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks,and/or other like electro-mechanical components. In embodiments,platform 900 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 912 based on oneor more captured events and/or instructions or control signals receivedfrom a service provider and/or various clients. In some implementations,the interface circuitry may connect the platform 900 with positioningcircuitry 922. The positioning circuitry 922 includes circuitry toreceive and decode signals transmitted/broadcasted by a positioningnetwork of a GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (orGNSS) include United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS, the European Union'sGalileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a regionalnavigation system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g., NAVIC), Japan'sQZSS, France's DORIS, etc.), or the like. The positioning circuitry 922comprises various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devicessuch as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, and the like tofacilitate OTA communications) to communicate with components of apositioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes.In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 922 may include aMicro-PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform positiontracking/estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry922 may also be part of, or interact with, the baseband circuitry 904and/or radio front end module 906 to communicate with the nodes andcomponents of the positioning network. The positioning circuitry 922 mayalso provide position data and/or time data to the application circuitry902, which may use the data to synchronize operations with variousinfrastructure (e.g., radio base stations), for turn-by-turn navigationapplications, or the like.

In some implementations, the interface circuitry may connect theplatform 900 with Near-Field Communication circuitry (shown as NFCcircuitry 920). The NFC circuitry 920 is configured to providecontactless, short-range communications based on radio frequencyidentification (RFID) standards, wherein magnetic field induction isused to enable communication between NFC circuitry 920 and NFC-enableddevices external to the platform 900 (e.g., an “NFC touchpoint”). NFCcircuitry 920 comprises an NFC controller coupled with an antennaelement and a processor coupled with the NFC controller. The NFCcontroller may be a chip/IC providing NFC functionalities to the NFCcircuitry 920 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack TheNFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFCcontroller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFCcontroller to control the antenna element to emit short-range RFsignals. The RF signals may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchipembedded in a sticker or wristband) to transmit stored data to the NFCcircuitry 920, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuitry 920and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POSterminal) that is proximate to the platform 900.

The driver circuitry 924 may include software and hardware elements thatoperate to control particular devices that are embedded in the platform900, attached to the platform 900, or otherwise communicatively coupledwith the platform 900. The driver circuitry 924 may include individualdrivers allowing other components of the platform 900 to interact withor control various input/output (I/O) devices that may be presentwithin, or connected to, the platform 900. For example, driver circuitry924 may include a display driver to control and allow access to adisplay device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to atouchscreen interface of the platform 900, sensor drivers to obtainsensor readings of sensors 910 and control and allow access to sensors910, EMC drivers to obtain actuator positions of the EMCs 912 and/orcontrol and allow access to the EMCs 912, a camera driver to control andallow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers tocontrol and allow access to one or more audio devices.

The power management integrated circuitry (shown as PMIC 916) (alsoreferred to as “power management circuitry”) may manage power providedto various components of the platform 900. In particular, with respectto the baseband circuitry 904, the PMIC 916 may control power-sourceselection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.The PMIC 916 may often be included when the platform 900 is capable ofbeing powered by a battery 918, for example, when the device is includedin a UE.

In some embodiments, the PMIC 916 may control, or otherwise be part of,various power saving mechanisms of the platform 900. For example, if theplatform 900 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connectedto the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it mayenter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a periodof inactivity. During this state, the platform 900 may power down forbrief intervals of time and thus save power. If there is no data trafficactivity for an extended period of time, then the platform 900 maytransition off to an RRC Idle state, where it disconnects from thenetwork and does not perform operations such as channel qualityfeedback, handover, etc. The platform 900 goes into a very low powerstate and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up tolisten to the network and then powers down again. The platform 900 maynot receive data in this state; in order to receive data, it musttransition back to RRC_Connected state. An additional power saving modemay allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longerthan a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). Duringthis time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and maypower down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a largedelay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

A battery 918 may power the platform 900, although in some examples theplatform 900 may be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and may have apower supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 918 may be alithium ion battery, a metal-air battery, such as a zinc-air battery, analuminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, and the like. In someimplementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 918 may be atypical lead-acid automotive battery.

In some implementations, the battery 918 may be a “smart battery,” whichincludes or is coupled with a Battery Management System (BMS) or batterymonitoring integrated circuitry. The BMS may be included in the platform900 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 918. The BMS maybe used to monitor other parameters of the battery 918 to providefailure predictions, such as the state of health (SoH) and the state offunction (SoF) of the battery 918. The BMS may communicate theinformation of the battery 918 to the application circuitry 902 or othercomponents of the platform 900. The BMS may also include ananalog-to-digital (ADC) convertor that allows the application circuitry902 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 918 or the currentflow from the battery 918. The battery parameters may be used todetermine actions that the platform 900 may perform, such astransmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, and thelike.

A power block, or other power supply coupled to an electrical grid maybe coupled with the BMS to charge the battery 918. In some examples, thepower block may be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain thepower wirelessly, for example, through a loop antenna in the computerplatform 900. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit maybe included in the BMS. The specific charging circuits chosen may dependon the size of the battery 918, and thus, the current required. Thecharging may be performed using the Airfuel standard promulgated by theAirfuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard promulgated by theWireless Power Consortium, or the Rezence charging standard promulgatedby the Alliance for Wireless Power, among others.

User interface circuitry 926 includes various input/output (I/O) devicespresent within, or connected to, the platform 900, and includes one ormore user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with theplatform 900 and/or peripheral component interfaces designed to enableperipheral component interaction with the platform 900. The userinterface circuitry 926 includes input device circuitry and outputdevice circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical orvirtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or morephysical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard,keypad, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, microphones, scanner, headset,and/or the like. The output device circuitry includes any physical orvirtual means for showing information or otherwise conveyinginformation, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or otherlike information. Output device circuitry may include any number and/orcombinations of audio or visual display, including, inter alia, one ormore simple visual outputs/indicators such as binary status indicators(e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs,or more complex outputs such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g.,Liquid Chrystal Displays (LCD), LED displays, quantum dot displays,projectors, etc.), with the output of characters, graphics, multimediaobjects, and the like being generated or produced from the operation ofthe platform 900. The output device circuitry may also include speakersor other audio emitting devices, printer(s), and/or the like. In someembodiments, the sensors 910 may be used as the input device circuitry(e.g., an image capture device, motion capture device, or the like) andone or more EMCs may be used as the output device circuitry (e.g., anactuator to provide haptic feedback or the like). In another example,NFC circuitry comprising an NFC controller coupled with an antennaelement and a processing device may be included to read electronic tagsand/or connect with another NFC-enabled device. Peripheral componentinterfaces may include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memoryport, a USB port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

Although not shown, the components of platform 900 may communicate withone another using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, whichmay include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCix,PCie, a Time-Trigger Protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or anynumber of other technologies. The bus/IX may be a proprietary bus/IX,for example, used in a SoC based system. Other bus/IX systems may beincluded, such as an I²C interface, an SPI interface, point-to-pointinterfaces, and a power bus, among others.

FIG. 10 illustrates example interfaces 1000 of baseband circuitry inaccordance with some embodiments. The baseband circuitry 1004 maycomprise 3G baseband processor 1008, 4G baseband processor 1012, 5Gbaseband processor 1016, other baseband processor(s) 1020, CPU 1024, anda memory 1028 utilized by said processors. As illustrated, each of theprocessors may include a respective memory interface 1002 tosend/receive data to/from the memory 1028.

The baseband circuitry 1004 may further include one or more interfacesto communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memoryinterface 1006 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memoryexternal to the baseband circuitry 1004), an application circuitryinterface 1010 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from theapplication circuitry), an RF circuitry interface 1014 (e.g., aninterface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry), a wirelesshardware connectivity interface 1018 (e.g., an interface to send/receivedata to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components), and a power management interface 1022 (e.g.,an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from a PMC).

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components 1100, according tosome example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 11 shows adiagrammatic representation of hardware resources 1102 including one ormore processors 1112 (or processor cores), one or more memory/storagedevices 1118, and one or more communication resources 1120, each ofwhich may be communicatively coupled via a bus 1122. For embodimentswhere node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1104 maybe executed to provide an execution environment for one or more networkslices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1102.

The processors 1112 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digitalsignal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit(RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) mayinclude, for example, a processor 1114 and a processor 1116.

The memory/storage devices 1118 may include main memory, disk storage,or any suitable combination thereof. The memory/storage devices 1118 mayinclude, but are not limited to any type of volatile or non-volatilememory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-accessmemory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flashmemory, solid-state storage, etc.

The communication resources 1120 may include interconnection or networkinterface components or other suitable devices to communicate with oneor more peripheral devices 1106 or one or more databases 1108 via anetwork 1110. For example, the communication resources 1120 may includewired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components,Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components,and other communication components.

Instructions 1124 may comprise software, a program, an application, anapplet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of theprocessors 1112 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein. The instructions 1124 may reside, completely orpartially, within at least one of the processors 1112 (e.g., within theprocessor's cache memory), the memory/storage devices 1118, or anysuitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of theinstructions 1124 may be transferred to the hardware resources 1102 fromany combination of the peripheral devices 1106 or the databases 1108.Accordingly, the memory of the processors 1112, the memory/storagedevices 1118, the peripheral devices 1106, and the databases 1108 areexamples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth inone or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one ormore operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth inthe Example Section below. For example, the baseband circuitry asdescribed above in connection with one or more of the preceding figuresmay be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of theexamples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated witha UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above inconnection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configuredto operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forthbelow in the example section.

Example Section

The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

Example 1 is a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readablestorage medium includes instructions that when executed by a processorof a base station, cause the processor to: perform a protocol data unit(PDU) session establishment procedure with a user equipment (UE) and acore network of a wireless communication system; process, in the PDUsession establishment procedure, a user plane (UP) security policy froma network function of the core network to determine a granularity levelof the UP security policy; generate a radio resource configuration (RRC)connection reconfiguration message, for the UE, comprising a UPintegrity and ciphering indication configured based on the granularitylevel of the UP security policy; and apply security protection to asubset UP traffic with the UE according to the UP security policy.

Example 2 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 1,wherein a portion of the UP traffic is communicated without the securityprotection based at least in part on the granularity level of the UPsecurity policy.

Example 3 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 1 orExample 2, wherein to determine the granularity level of the UP securitypolicy comprises to determine that the UP security policy from thenetwork function is per PDU session, per data radio bearer (DRB) withinthe PDU session, or per quality of service (QoS) flow within one or moreDRB of the PDU session.

Example 4 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 3,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to configure aDRB level UP security policy for the UE.

Example 5 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 4,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per PDU session, configurethe UP integrity and ciphering indication for each of the one or moreDRB of the PDU session.

Example 6 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 4,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per DRB within the PDUsession, configure a first DRB with a first UP integrity and cipheringindication and a second DRB with a second UP integrity and cipheringindication.

Example 7 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 4,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per QoS flow: map each QoSflow to the one or more DRB of the PDU session; and configure a firstDRB with a first UP integrity and ciphering indication and a second DRBwith a second UP integrity and ciphering indication.

Example 8 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 7,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to determine,from the UP security policy from the network function, a respective UPsecurity policy for each of the one or more DRB of the PDU session.

Example 9 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 3,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to configure aQoS flow level UP security policy for the UE.

Example 10 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 9,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per PDU session: redefinethe granularity level of the UP security policy from the per PDU sessionto the QoS flow level; and configure the UP integrity and cipheringindication for each QoS flow of the PDU session.

Example 11 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 9,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per DRB within the PDUsession: map each of the one or more DRB to the QoS flow level UPsecurity policy; and configure a first QoS flow with a first UPintegrity and ciphering indication and a second QoS flow with a secondUP integrity and ciphering indication.

Example 12 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 11,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to determine,from the UP security policy from the network function, a respective UPsecurity policy for each QoS flow from the per DRB UP security policyfrom the network function.

Example 13 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 9,wherein the instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per QoS flow, configure afirst QoS flow with a first UP integrity and ciphering indication and asecond QoS flow with a second UP integrity and ciphering indication.

Example 14 includes the computer-readable storage medium of Example 1,wherein to process the UP security policy from the network functioncomprises to process the UP security policy from a session managementfunction (SMF) of the core network.

Example 15 is a method for a session management function (SMF) of a corenetwork in a wireless communication system. The method includes: in aprotocol data unit (PDU) session establishment procedure, processingsession management subscription data for a corresponding user equipment(UE), the session management subscription data including a user plane(UP) security policy for a PDU session of the UE; based at least in parton a maximum data rate of the UE for integrity protected traffic,determining a granularity for applying the UP security policy to the UE;and generating UP security enforcement information to send to an accessand mobility management function (AMF) to communicate the UP securitypolicy to a radio access network (RAN) node connected to the UE, the UPsecurity policy indicating the granularity for the RAN node to configurethe UP security policy to the UE.

Example 16 includes the method of Example 15, wherein the granularityfor applying the UP security policy to the UE is selected from a groupcomprising per PDU session, per data radio bearer (DRB) within the PDUsession, or per quality of service (QoS) flow within one or more DRB ofthe PDU session.

Example 17 includes the method of Example 16, wherein for thegranularity per QoS flow, the UP security policy indicates thatdifferent QoS flows have different UP security policies.

Example 18 includes the method of Example 17, wherein the UP securitypolicy is part of one or more QoS rules or QoS profiles for the UE.

Example 19 includes the method of Example 16, wherein for thegranularity per DRB, the UP security policy indicates that differentDRBs within the PDU session have different UP security policies.

Example 20 is a method for a user equipment (UE). The method includes,in a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment procedure,processing a radio resource configuration (RRC) connectionreconfiguration message from a radio access network (RAN) node, the RRCconnection reconfiguration message including a user plane (UP) securitypolicy comprising a granularity level for applying security protectionto UP traffic between the UE and the RAN node, the granularity levelbased at least in part on the UE integrity protection maximum data rate.The method also includes applying the security protection to a subset ofthe UP traffic with the RAN node according to the UP security policy.

Example 21 includes the method of Example 20, wherein a portion of theUP traffic is communicated without the security protection based atleast in part on the granularity level of the UP security policy.

Example 22 includes the method of Example 20 or Example 21, wherein theRRC connection reconfiguration message comprises a UP integrity andciphering indication configured according to the granularity level, andwherein the granularity level is one of: per PDU session wherein a sameUP integrity and ciphering configuration is applied to each data radiobearer (DRB) in the PDU session; per DRB within the PDU session whereina different UP integrity and ciphering configuration is applied to atleast two different DRBs in the PDU session; or per quality of service(QoS) flow wherein a different UP integrity and ciphering configurationis applied to at least two different QoS flows within one or more DRB ofthe PDU session.

Example 23 includes the method of Example 20 or Example 21, furthercomprising generating a UE capability message, at the UE for a wirelessnetwork, comprising an indication of support for at least one of a dataradio bearer (DRB) level user plane (UP) security policy and a qualityof service (QoS) flow level UP security policy.

Example 24 may include an apparatus comprising means to perform one ormore elements of a method described in or related to any of the aboveExamples, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 25 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, uponexecution of the instructions by one or more processors of theelectronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method describedin or related to any of the above Examples, or any other method orprocess described herein.

Example 26 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, orcircuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in orrelated to any of the above Examples, or any other method or processdescribed herein.

Example 27 may include a method, technique, or process as described inor related to any of the above Examples, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 28 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processorsand one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described inor related to any of the above Examples, or portions thereof.

Example 29 may include a signal as described in or related to any of theabove Examples, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 30 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol dataunit (PDU), or message as described in or related to any of the aboveExamples, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in thepresent disclosure.

Example 31 may include a signal encoded with data as described in orrelated to any of the above Examples, or portions or parts thereof, orotherwise described in the present disclosure.

Example 32 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, packet, frame,segment, PDU, or message as described in or related to any of the aboveExamples, or portions or parts thereof, or otherwise described in thepresent disclosure.

Example 33 may include an electromagnetic signal carryingcomputer-readable instructions, wherein execution of thecomputer-readable instructions by one or more processors is to cause theone or more processors to perform the method, techniques, or process asdescribed in or related to any of the above Examples, or portionsthereof

Example 34 may include a computer program comprising instructions,wherein execution of the program by a processing element is to cause theprocessing element to carry out the method, techniques, or process asdescribed in or related to any of the above Examples, or portionsthereof.

Example 35 may include a signal in a wireless network as shown anddescribed herein.

Example 36 may include a method of communicating in a wireless networkas shown and described herein.

Example 37 may include a system for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

Example 38 may include a device for providing wireless communication asshown and described herein.

Any of the above described examples may be combined with any otherexample (or combination of examples), unless explicitly statedotherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementationsprovides illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise formdisclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods describedherein may include various operations, which may be embodied inmachine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. Acomputer system may include one or more general-purpose orspecial-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computersystem may include hardware components that include specific logic forperforming the operations or may include a combination of hardware,software, and/or firmware.

It should be recognized that the systems described herein includedescriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combinedinto single systems, partially combined into other systems, split intomultiple systems or divided or combined in other ways. In addition, itis contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of oneembodiment can be used in another embodiment. The parameters,attributes, aspects, etc. are merely described in one or moreembodiments for clarity, and it is recognized that the parameters,attributes, aspects, etc. can be combined with or substituted forparameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unlessspecifically disclaimed herein.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiableinformation should follow privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular,personally identifiable information data should be managed and handledso as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use,and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes ofclarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the principles thereof. It should benoted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both theprocesses and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the presentembodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, andthe description is not to be limited to the details given herein, butmay be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includinginstructions that when executed by a processor of a base station, causethe processor to: perform a protocol data unit (PDU) sessionestablishment procedure with a user equipment (UE) and a core network ofa wireless communication system; process, in the PDU sessionestablishment procedure, a user plane (UP) security policy from anetwork function of the core network to determine a granularity level ofthe UP security policy; generate a radio resource configuration (RRC)connection reconfiguration message, for the UE, comprising a UPintegrity and ciphering indication configured based on the granularitylevel of the UP security policy; and apply security protection to asubset UP traffic with the UE according to the UP security policy. 2.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, whereina portion of the UP traffic is communicated without the securityprotection based at least in part on the granularity level of the UPsecurity policy.
 3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 1, wherein to determine the granularity level of the UPsecurity policy comprises to determine that the UP security policy fromthe network function is per PDU session, per data radio bearer (DRB)within the PDU session, or per quality of service (QoS) flow within oneor more DRB of the PDU session.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions further configurethe processor to configure a DRB level UP security policy for the UE. 5.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, whereinthe instructions further configure the processor to, when the UPsecurity policy from the network function is per PDU session, configurethe UP integrity and ciphering indication for each of the one or moreDRB of the PDU session.
 6. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 4, wherein the instructions further configure theprocessor to, when the UP security policy from the network function isper DRB within the PDU session, configure a first DRB with a first UPintegrity and ciphering indication and a second DRB with a second UPintegrity and ciphering indication.
 7. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructionsfurther configure the processor to, when the UP security policy from thenetwork function is per QoS flow: map each QoS flow to the one or moreDRB of the PDU session; and configure a first DRB with a first UPintegrity and ciphering indication and a second DRB with a second UPintegrity and ciphering indication.
 8. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the instructionsfurther configure the processor to determine, from the UP securitypolicy from the network function, a respective UP security policy foreach of the one or more DRB of the PDU session.
 9. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructionsfurther configure the processor to configure a QoS flow level UPsecurity policy for the UE.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further configurethe processor to, when the UP security policy from the network functionis per PDU session: redefine the granularity level of the UP securitypolicy from the per PDU session to the QoS flow level; and configure theUP integrity and ciphering indication for each QoS flow of the PDUsession.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 9, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to,when the UP security policy from the network function is per DRB withinthe PDU session: map each of the one or more DRB to the QoS flow levelUP security policy; and configure a first QoS flow with a first UPintegrity and ciphering indication and a second QoS flow with a secondUP integrity and ciphering indication.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructionsfurther configure the processor to determine, from the UP securitypolicy from the network function, a respective UP security policy foreach QoS flow from the per DRB UP security policy from the networkfunction.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 9, wherein the instructions further configure the processor to,when the UP security policy from the network function is per QoS flow,configure a first QoS flow with a first UP integrity and cipheringindication and a second QoS flow with a second UP integrity andciphering indication.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 1, wherein to process the UP security policy from thenetwork function comprises to process the UP security policy from asession management function (SMF) of the core network.
 15. A method fora session management function (SMF) of a core network in a wirelesscommunication system, the method comprising: in a protocol data unit(PDU) session establishment procedure, processing session managementsubscription data for a corresponding user equipment (UE), the sessionmanagement subscription data including a user plane (UP) security policyfor a PDU session of the UE; based at least in part on a maximum datarate of the UE for integrity protected traffic, determining agranularity for applying the UP security policy to the UE; andgenerating UP security enforcement information to send to an access andmobility management function (AMF) to communicate the UP security policyto a radio access network (RAN) node connected to the UE, the UPsecurity policy indicating the granularity for the RAN node to configurethe UP security policy to the UE.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe granularity for applying the UP security policy to the UE isselected from a group comprising per PDU session, per data radio bearer(DRB) within the PDU session, or per quality of service (QoS) flowwithin one or more DRB of the PDU session.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein for the granularity per QoS flow, the UP security policyindicates that different QoS flows have different UP security policies.18. The method of claim 17, wherein the UP security policy is part ofone or more QoS rules or QoS profiles for the UE.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, wherein for the granularity per DRB, the UP security policyindicates that different DRBs within the PDU session have different UPsecurity policies.
 20. A method for a user equipment (UE), comprising:in a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment procedure,processing a radio resource configuration (RRC) connectionreconfiguration message from a radio access network (RAN) node, the RRCconnection reconfiguration message including a user plane (UP) securitypolicy comprising a granularity level for applying security protectionto UP traffic between the UE and the RAN node, the granularity levelbased at least in part on the UE integrity protection maximum data rate;and applying the security protection to a subset of the UP traffic withthe RAN node according to the UP security policy.